Pandemic preparedness: Learning from COVID-19 and Nipah to build a resilient future

As we observe International Epidemic Preparedness Day on December 27, India stands at a crucial juncture in its journey towards building robust health security systems. The State’s response demonstrates how local healthcare systems can effectively contain potential pandemic threats through rapid detection, systematic contact tracing, and coordinated public health measures. For India to mitigate future pandemics effectively, it must expand this model nationally, creating a network of One Health centres dedicated to monitoring potential disease outbreaks, studying environmental factors, and tracking animal-human disease transmission patterns. To enhance preparedness, India needs to strengthen its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme in the following ways: establishing more diagnostic facilities with advanced testing capabilities; implementing real-time data-sharing systems across states; training healthcare workers in early detection of unusual disease patterns; creating networks of sentinel surveillance sites in high-risk areas and integrating human and animal health surveillance systems. India’s experience with COVID-19 vaccine development demonstrates our capability to respond to health emergencies; however, we need sustained investment in research on emerging infectious diseases and development of diagnostic tools and therapeutics.